What do you do for power outages?!

[Dylan7huskies]

I had a power outage a few weeks ago and my tank dropped to 70 degrees. My biggest concern is water temperature since I live in NY. What would you guys recommend the next time this happens? Any links to go batteries you guys use?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Battery backup is great to keep powerheads going during a short power outage. For extended outages I have access to a generator.
Tank temp isn't going to be as huge of a deal as keeping the water moving.
Not to say you don't want to keep the tank warm. But if the temp drops too low, you can put hot water in water bottles and let them float in the tank to keep temps up.

 

[dwest]

For sure water movement is the most important. I use 2 batteries to backup an mp40 for up to 3 days.

 

[don_chuwish]

Battery backup is great to keep powerheads going during a short power outage. For extended outages I have access to a generator.
Tank temp isn't going to be as huge of a deal as keeping the water moving.
Not to say you don't want to keep the tank warm. But if the temp drops too low, you can put hot water in water bottles and let them float in the tank to keep temps up.

+1 on battery for short term water movement, generator REQUIRED if you want to survive anything longer term. I wouln't want to go more than a half day without one.
We had a week long outage in February but my tank was fine because of the genny going 24/7.
House got down to 40 degrees quickly, but tank stayed at 78!

 

[Potatohead]

Heat is the biggest problem with a power outage for me too. I have a battery backup which is fine for flow, but there's really nothing you can do for heat other than a generator. I do have one but I can't really run it at night. Last time there was an extended power outage my tank fell to 71 degrees overnight and I lost a few acros and about half my fish

 

[mfinn]

I had a power outage a few weeks ago and my tank dropped to 70 degrees. My biggest concern is water temperature since I live in NY. What would you guys recommend the next time this happens? Any links to go batteries you guys use?

I would look into a generator.
You could start out small 1000 to 2000 watts.
Or maybe get a middle of the road one and have power to put a little heat or run the microwave or coffee pot.
Or go big.

Whatever you choose, it may not be used for a long time, but when you need it,,,,,,,,,,,,it's there

 

[MERKEY]

Battery back up if you live in a residential area so you can run it when ever the power goes out and not bother neighbors

I live in the country and have a generator hooked up to the house. So unless I run out of gas I'm good for as long as I can get gas(which is another story hahaha).

 

[Potatohead]

Kind of funny timing as I pulled out my genny and fired it up yesterday for the first time in close to a year. Three pulls and it fired up even with the old gas

 

[robbyg]

Turn the key in my kitchen and start the generator outside. I have been there and done that with batteries and UPS's. I learned the hard way the a generator is a must and if your going to get one you might as well get one that's integrated into the panel box and can power most of the house. It makes it a lot easier to get the wife onboard

 

[don_chuwish]

Kind of funny timing as I pulled out my genny and fired it up yesterday for the first time in close to a year. Three pulls and it fired up even with the old gas

That is the thing about seldom used small engines - gotta put'em away right:
- Only use non-ethanol gas
- Add fuel stabilizer to freshly bought gas
- Run the engine until all fuel is gone (or drain the tank), and it won't even cough with the choke on
- Pull the spark plug and squirt in a bit of fogging oil, pull the cord once to spread it around the cylinder wall
- Store in a dry place

 

[stanleo]

I am lucky and my husband works in IT. There is a huge battery backup in the basement plus four smaller ones we keep charged. I have two hooked up, one for the power heads and one for the return pump. If there is a longer than 3 hour power outage I can swap backups for a whole day. Longer than that I have a converter I can power things from the car with.

 

[S.Pepper]

I have a gas powered honda portable generator. It's 11hp and can handle up to 6875 watts. My electrician buddy hooked it up so all I have to do is plug it in, start it up, and turn each breaker on one by one. Amazingly, it can run the whole house.

 

[SuncrestReef]

In a pinch, you can fill a hot water bottle to place in the sump. Hopefully you have a gas stove that could still work during a power outage to heat the water.

 

[S.Pepper]

That is the thing about seldom used small engines - gotta put'em away right:
- Only use non-ethanol gas
- Add fuel stabilizer to freshly bought gas
- Run the engine until all fuel is gone (or drain the tank), and it won't even cough with the choke on
- Pull the spark plug and squirt in a bit of fogging oil, pull the cord once to spread it around the cylinder wall
- Store in a dry place

Yup, i do it twice a year.

 

[mfinn]

Yup, i do it twice a year.

I test fire and change out the gas myself twice a year

 

[CasaReefer]

There are a lot of portable Dual Fuel Gens out there. If you run on Propane Gas problem are not an issue. And propane doesn't go bad... no stabilizers needed.

 

[TheOne]

If you can't run a generator due to living in a condo, too high up, or various other reasons I would suggest a backup propane heater placed close to your tank. Make sure you buy one that is indoor safe and use a CO alarm just to be safe. Some are indoor safe and some are outdoor only. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU ARE USING AN INDOOR SAFE PROPANE HEATER AND HAVE A CO ALARM NEARBY.

Also you can drop some battery powered air stones in your tank. I run my mp40's on a marine deep cycle battery for backup.

 

[Marco S]

Just out of curiosity...why is it that fish and coral can survive being shipped overnight in a small bag with no flow, heat or light and yet we all freak out about a power outage? Is it really that important?

I live in AZ where there are no natural disasters to worry about and in the 26 years I have been here, (off and on) I have only experienced a handful of outages and they normally only last a few minutes, but the longest lasted a couple of hours so I may be really biased on this. ;Happy

 

[mfinn]

Just out of curiosity...why is it that fish and coral can survive being shipped overnight in a small bag with no flow, heat or light and yet we all freak out about a power outage? Is it really that important?

I live in AZ where there are no natural disasters to worry about and in the 26 years I have been here, (off and on) I have only experienced a handful of outages and they normally only last a few minutes, but the longest lasted a couple of hours so I may be really biased on this. ;Happy

Well since the fish or coral is shipped in a insulated box and during colder weather usually with heat packs and most fish from vendors do use o2, they do have what they need to survive. The small space limits the fishes activity so it doesn't use alot of o2.
But it's not uncommon that they don't survive.

Now take the average tank in the northern states in the winter time when the outside temps can dip into the sub zero range and then add no heat or circulation ( o2 source).
The temps inside a house can dip below freezing faster than we like to admit.
A few years ago in my house in Washington state during a power outage there was ice in water glasses on my counter on the 3rd morning of a 6 day outage.

I would guess that in many houses in the south just about have to have a chiller to keep things within acceptable range.
Plus other issues I'm not aware of.

You are very blessed not having to deal with power outages

 

[TheOne]

Just out of curiosity...why is it that fish and coral can survive being shipped overnight in a small bag with no flow, heat or light and yet we all freak out about a power outage? Is it really that important?

I live in AZ where there are no natural disasters to worry about and in the 26 years I have been here, (off and on) I have only experienced a handful of outages and they normally only last a few minutes, but the longest lasted a couple of hours so I may be really biased on this. ;Happy

Be thankful you don't have hurricanes and tornados to visit you yearly. I wouldn't even think of not having an emergency plan in place. Not only for my aquarium but most importantly for my family.

As far as shipping livestock about 2/3 make it alive in my experience.